King County Detectives Scott Strathy (l.) and Jim Knauss count $1s, $5s, $10s and $20s found in a stolen Honda allegedly used in a crime spree that came to a violent end in Woodinville. Over $1,200 was recovered in cash and coins.

Andrew Walgamott/staff photos

A latent print detective dusted a jug of vodka and whiskey found in a stolen Honda for fingerprints.

by Andrew Walgamott
WOODINVILLE--Last week, Roman Federov, 17, was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery for robbing the Woodinville BP and 7-Eleven Dec. 18. Those were the last stops of an armed blitz that stretched from Seattle to Woodinville and ended with the death of Federov's alleged accomplice, Vitaly Kalchik, 18, at the 7-Eleven. King County Prosecutors term Federov "very dangerous" and asked that he be held on $150,000 bail while he's investigated for six other robberies that occured that morning. He was captured when the stolen Honda he was allegedly driving crashed a mile from the 7-Eleven.

Charging papers gave a clearer picture of how the pair's spree began and unraveled. It started in a Seattle parking garage where Kalchik pulled a semiautomatic handgun on a man and demanded his wallet. After complying, the man overheard Kalchik and an accomplice say, "You gonna shoot him?" and the reply, "No, I'm going to let him live." The wallet was later recovered in the Honda.

Three robberies occurred in Seattle, and then the pair hit Lake Forest Park at 6:38 a.m. where the till of a Texaco was taken by a suspect in black jeans and white T-shirt. Three minutes later the Kenmore U-Save Chevron was hit. A male in a blue parka and blue jeans with a towel wrapped around his face put a gun to a clerk's face and said, "Give me all the money." The clerk asked the suspect if he was kidding and the suspect ejected a round from the gun, chambered another and said, "No, I'm not kidding." The cash drawer was taken.

On State Route 522 between Kenmore and Woodinville, a Honda matching the suspects' struck another vehicle, causing it to spin around in traffic at about 6:45 a.m. At 6:56 a.m. papers say Federov, with a handgun, robbed the Woodinville BP, taking the cash drawer. Such a drawer was recovered in the 7-Eleven parking lot. There, Kalchik entered the store and demanded money from the clerk. While the clerk followed instructions, papers say owner Otto Beach pulled out his gun, aimed at Kalchik and said "something like 'Hold it." Papers say Kalchik fired once at Beach, who then fired back. Kalchik fled with the money, but shot in the throat, he collapsed and died outside the store, money fanned out near his body.

Federov was captured entangled in blackberries by two police officers at the intersection of N.E. N. Woodinville Way and Woodinville-Duvall Rd. where he crashed the getaway car. Police serving a search warrant on the car recovered $1,234.64 in cash and coins. Detective Scott Strathy called the loot a "good take" for the multiple robberies.

Two half-gallon jugs of whiskey and vodka were also seized. Strathy said that Federov smelled strongly of alcohol when he was arrested and was still legally drunk four hours after arrest. A cash drawer, and a .380 semi-automatic handgun believed to have been the car owners' were recovered as well. Federov will be tried as an adult. He was arraigned on charges Dec. 29.